Parents voice more concerns on rezoning Seminole schools

SANFORD — Many parents of students attending a dozen elementary schools in eastern Seminole County fear their children will needlessly be shifted to different schools next fall in massive rezoning planned by the School Board.

They want the board and Superintendent Walt Griffin to scale back the rezoning, which they say will disrupt students and families.

"There is no way to make everyone happy during rezoning," said Regina Hardee, who has a child at Eastbrook Elementary. "However, I would ask Superintendent Griffin to consider alternatives that would move fewer students."

Parents turned out in force Tuesday night to object to proposed changes in school-attendance zones, with about 200 packing the school-district headquarters. Many agreed that the proposals being considered move too many students.

School Board members considered four possible rezoning plans for the 12 East Phase schools that were developed by a committee of parents and principals. Carillon, Eastbrook, Evans, Geneva, Keeth, Lawton, Partin, Rainbow, Red Bug, Stenstrom, Sterling Park and Walker elementary schools are in the rezoning mix.

Many parents seemed dissatisfied with all four plans on the table.

But School Board member Amy Lockhart reassured parents that none of the four is likely to be the final rezoning plan.

"We get it. We know this is not the end result," Lockhart said. "It is a process and we are going to be very methodical."

A group of parents from Red Bug Elementary agreed none of the four rezoning plans works. They suggested their own proposal they said would put fewer students on the road between Red Bug, Eastbrook and Sterling Park elementary schools.

"Moving 125 students instead of 1,000 makes sense," said Jennifer Van Wagner, a Red Bug parent involved with the proposal.

Still, despite parents' pleas, many students are expected to be shifted in the rezoning that could affect more than 20,000 students in 28 of the county's 36 elementary schools. Eleven elementary schools in the northern section of the county and five in the west also are being rezoned in separate phases.

District officials say they must rezone to reduce overcrowding at some schools and fill empty seats at others.

Some East Phase parents also are opposed to any rezoning plan that divides communities among two or more schools. One plan, for example, proposes to split the Live Oak Reserve community in Oviedo between Carillon and Walker. Those students now attend Partin.

"We don't care what school we go to," said Live Oak resident Paul Schmitt, who was handing out buttons saying "ONE." "But if at all possible, try to keep the neighborhoods together."

No decisions were made on rezoning the East Phase schools. But Griffin said he would consider all of the public comment before he recommends a rezoning plan to the board for approval Feb. 26. Final board approval is set for April 2.